Tiny houses zoned out of York County? That must change (editorial)

Municipalities in York County have regulations regarding minimum habitable floor area and required hookups for water and sewer.

Sean Heisey, York Daily Record

To many people, the notion of trading a two-story, two-bath, three-bedroom home for a house that requires you to fold up the bed to sit at the kitchen table is anathema.

It just doesn't compute. Why would someone give up the space of a 2,000-square-foot house to live in a domicile in which you can't sit up in bed to read a book without smacking your head on the ceiling?

This tiny home in Oregon is part of a whole tiny home village. In York County, various zoning ...more

This tiny home in Oregon is part of a whole tiny home village. In York County, various zoning ordinances often prohibit tiny homes below a minimum size.

But it's a real thing, the tiny house movement, adopted by people who reject our consumer-driven culture and try to live lives unencumbered by the anchor of the large house in the 'burbs with the big yard and the hefty mortgage.

It is an admirable movement, in a lot of ways. People who have committed to the tiny house lifestyle mostly do so out of economic concerns, certainly, as tiny houses are often exponentially less expensive than traditional homes. They also do so for more altruistic reasons, hoping to live a more sustainable lifestyle, one not driven by possessions – and one that has less of an impact on the planet we all call home.

There are probably as many reasons for having a tiny house as there are for having a four-bedroom, four-bath McMansion erected on land that used to produce food. One of them, of course, is providing for aging relatives, allowing your parents or grandparents to live independently but close by. You can have your parents or grandparents live on your property while maintaining their independence and the privacy of having their own space.

Tiny houses also provide a viable alternative to young people just starting out who can't afford the mortgage-like rents on apartments or a down payment on a home.

In short, there are a lot of reason to embrace tiny houses.

But in York County, they are essentially illegal.

It doesn't make a lot of sense. York County municipal zoning codes allow for trailers, or manufactured housing. But tiny houses? No.

The inside of the tiny home in Mt. Hood, Oregon. The homes are often built for those who wish to ...more

The inside of the tiny home in Mt. Hood, Oregon. The homes are often built for those who wish to have a minimalist lifestyle.

Standard-Times

The main reason is the square footage. Most tiny homes come in at about 500 square feet or less. That is small. But it is not much smaller than most single-wide trailers, which average perhaps 600 to 700 square feet.

The zoning barriers to tiny houses don't make a lot of sense.

If a person can live in a 500-square-foot tiny house, and is happy living in that space, and if the house meets all of the necessary building codes and public health and safety requirements – including proper water, sewer and electrical connections – what's the harm?

It seems that it's a matter of municipalities updating their zoning and building codes to accommodate a change in our societal norms.

It could be in the works. Kurt Leitholf, chief of the York County Planning Commission's Municipal Planning Division, has written to each of the county's municipalities asking them to reconsider minimum habitable space requirements. It might be a cry in the wilderness. For instance, Kipp Allison, zoning officer for Windsor Township, said the township "is not interested in doing that at this point in time."

So it may not be easy. And it may take some finesse. Nobody wants to see people trying to live in shacks or garden sheds. But tiny houses aren't shacks or sheds. Many offer the same amenities as their larger cousins, just on a smaller scale.

Nobody is saying that tiny houses shouldn't have to meet basic standards of public health and safety.

But determining whether they meet the standards of decent, affordable housing simply by their square footage makes little sense. If a tiny house meets all of the requirements of public health and safety, there is no good reason to zone them out.

You might not choose to live in a house that is the size of a typical suburban master bedroom. But those who want to do so, for whatever reason, should be able to have that choice.